In memory of Zenani Mandela and to raise awareness for the Decade of Action for Road Safety, Tottenham Hotspur and the Orlando Pirates wore the yellow road safety Tag on black armbands during their match on 19 July 2011 at Mbombela Stadium, South Africa.
Source: www.FiaFoundation.org
The yellow Tag for the UN Decade of Action is intended to serve as the ‘AIDS ribbon’ for road safety, unifying global support for the effort to save millions of lives on the world’s roads. The teams are wearing the Tag symbol on armbands in order to raise awareness for road safety and honour the memory of Zenani who was killed in a car crash on the eve of the 2010 World Cup.
The Nelson Mandela Foundation, the South African Department of Transport and independent charity the FIA Foundation are running the Zenani Mandela Scholarship for Road Safety, a UN Decade of Action initiative. The Scholarship was set up in Zenani’s memory to help train South African road safety professionals and also encourages road safety awareness raising activities to be carried out.
At the Mbombela Stadium where the match was being played, a film for the UN Decade of Action was shown at half-time. It featured Zoleka Mandela, mother of Zenani, calling for action on road safety in South Africa and around the world. Fans of both teams also wore the Tag during the game. After the match, Nelson Mandela’s grandson, 19 year old Karabo Lushaba, met the Spurs players for a photo session with the Decade Tag.
A range of sports stars, celebrities and high profile figures are wearing the yellow Tag and supporting the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety. Inspiring figures to have given their support include former US President Bill Clinton, Burmese human rights activist Aung San Suu Kyi, musician and campaigner Sir Bob Geldof, and actress Michelle Yeoh.
In the world of sport others such as the Ghana national football team have previously worn the Tag while competing, notably during their match with England at Wembley in 2011. Tottenham Hotspur also raised awareness for the UN Decade of Action on 18th July in a Mandela Day initiative at their training session with Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele, and representatives of the Mandela family.
Click here to watch the short Decade of Action film played at half-time >